NGL, I kind of cried a little on the inside when watching this video. That cat must have been having a heart attack. ETA : I realize its to the tune of "Under the Sea" but I just saw this video on a weblog I read and went WTF. I'll try to find a different video (but will probably cry if I find another one because that means someone else put their pet through this horrendous machine)

It's probably pretty horrible for the cat, but when aren't baths? It looked like no more than a pet shower.

I had one cat who would get nasty and then claw the hell out of me when I tried to bath him. Soothing methods didn't work and he went through the entire bathing processin a blind terror. Honestly, I'd probably have given some thought to the machine. (I also probably would have decided against it since I'm cheap.) On the other hand, I have and have had other cats who hated baths, but were calmed by my presence. For them it would make the bath much worse and I wouldn't choose it.

For a couple of my cats I wouldn't either. It was just the one who used to nap in the litter box and then freak out like that in the bath. The only difference between how the cat in the video reacted and my cat was that cat wasn't turning my arms into ribbons.

I can see it being a useful device for bathing an animal that gets extremely violent (ie, the kind of violence you need better armour for than the mere "heavy sweaters, oven mitts and a hockey mask" variety), but even then it counts as torture. It's just the beneficial kind, like getting neutered or having rabies vaccinations. Definitely not something that should have the word "spa" attached to it, and not something to be used lightly.

I can see how some animals might enjoy it--my grandfather had a dog who would go out and play in the sprinkler, and my uncle's girlfriend had a cat that insisted on showering with people--but for most pets I think being locked in a strange metal box and pelted with water would be a very scary experience.